


What if I asked you to stay?

by heryellowcup



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Being Walked In On, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, I genuinely don't know how to tag, Lena Luthor is a Softie, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Roommates, Smut, and a gay mess, everyone's cockblocking, he and Lena are bros, mike's nice in this one, oh my god they were rommates, this is just fluff w/o plot tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-05 03:54:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17911535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heryellowcup/pseuds/heryellowcup
Summary: She forces the words out of her mouth before she can think of the certain humiliation that will come with her question. They don’t know each other, the encounters they’ve assembled together are countable on two hands, the times they’ve actually talked to each other onone. It’s foolish to even entertain the thought, foolish to think of Mike’s priceless face when he hears about this, hears about Kara sayingyes- because she most certainly won’t.“You could stay with me, if you wanted to.”Or, Lena invites her charming neighbour (that she totally doesnothave a crush on), Kara, to live with her while her apartment's being fixed. Lots of mutual pining and some smut ensues, but it's mostly just them being adorable.





	What if I asked you to stay?

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this quite some time ago and, for some reason, felt motivated to finally write the last scene. And my first smut ever. Though most of it is really just them being adorable. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Lena’s feet ache, as they so often do after a long day, as she steps out of the elevator and into the dimly lit hallway. She’s exhausted, but feels momentarily spurred on by the sight of the door to her apartment as well as the immediate relief that surely lies behind it - in form of a comfortable couch and a glass of scotch. Sometimes it’s a bed and tea, instead, depending on how late it is already. On others, on days like this, however, time is merely a social construct. So is getting drunk off of too many glasses of her own, personal drug of choice and the alleviation that comes with the discarding of tight clothes and even tighter shoes. 

It’s what she looks forward to on most nights, although only after she leaves her office that is meant for thoughts regarding business and business only. It’s almost pathetic, the realization that not only is it what she anticipates _most_ , but truly the _only_ thing she ever awaits with a feeling unlike dread or total indifference. Her steps are determined nonetheless; that is, until she spots something else entirely. 

Her own and Mike’s competition regarding blonde hair and an endearingly charming smile is childish, is silly, and yet it’s ever present. She finds herself walking at a pace too fast for the poor condition of her feet, in a direction that is everything but the apartment she’d been waiting to enter. She misses - feels robbed of - the staccato of her stilettos on the carpeted floor of their hallway, usually a manifestation of authority. It’s lacking now, her steps undetermined and muffled, and - to her utter dismay - Lena feels shy. She approaches slowly, hesitantly, uses the painfully long thirty feet to trace blonde curls towards a face that is usually serene, now scrunched up in worry. Concern takes over immediately and Lena’s eyes swerve towards Mike’s door - he’s gone, she knows, either still at work or with some new, poor conquest of his - then allows them to wander back to Kara (she knows her name now, idiotically prides herself with a knowledge so utterly useless and insignificant). 

Lena’s gaze finds Kara leaning against a wall, legs drawn up to her body, and watches as she indecisively types a number into her phone, holds it up to her ear just to hang up a second later. Foolishly, Lena’s heart soars as the woman looks up and, as their eyes meet, regards her with a gentle wave of her free hand. Lena waves back, a gesture so apprehensive and small that she might as well have done nothing at all. But there’s a smile on Kara’s lips now, she believes, and so her legs carry her further somehow. 

Kara, seemingly unaware of her approach, repeats her nonsensical typing of numbers a few more times, before Lena feels like she might have turned into something more than a nervous spot in her peripheral vision and the blonde looks up to meet her eyes another time. 

“Oh, hi,” Kara smiles, shoves her phone into the front pocket of her pants and gets up quickly, almost comically so. Lena has to bite back a smile when the other woman continues to run her hand through her hair and then buries both of them just like she had her phone. A nervous gesture, certainly, and although Lena is not going to dwell on it, she appreciates how easy Kara is to read. It makes the embarrassing pace that her own heart is beating in seem almost normal, for a situation that should be nothing but that. She’s just greeting a neighbor, making sure they’re alright. She’s being friendly and neighborly, for once, and surely that should account for _something_ in _someone’s_ book. 

“Hey,” Lena replies as nonchalantly as possible, “are you okay?” 

The question is not only inappropriate but also stupid - perhaps even more so - Lena realizes just a second later when she finally notes the door of Kara’s apartment, wide open and framing men that seem to be plumbers, along with an amount of water that she knows should not _ever_ be in anyone’s apartment. 

“Shit,” Lena mumbles under her breath and copies some of Kara’s nervous gestures. “Sorry, that was really insensitive of me. Of course you’re not, I mean, this-” 

But when she looks back to Kara, the latter is smiling, chuckling to herself in something that is most likely amusement. Lena indistinctly feels herself worry about whether she might be making a fool of herself, but Kara’s smile is incredibly distracting and her words reassuring. 

“Don’t worry, it’s cool,” Kara hums, still smiling gently. Lena feels almost relieved to then see a crack in her sudden composure, the downturn of soft lips a certain indication that it’s definitely not _cool_. “It’s just, well-” she sighs, followed by a grand hand gesture comprising everything around them, specifically her apartment. 

“I’m sorry-” Lena tries again, not knowing what else to say, wondering if anything that she possibly _could_ say would help even in the slightest. Kara takes that worry of hers, the responsibility Lena feels comes with it, and dissolves it carefully with the shake of her head. 

“I’m just going to need to find a place to stay, really, it’s not that big of a deal.” But it is, they both know, a big deal - no matter how genuine Kara’s words sound. 

Lena is about to say something more meaningful - wants to try, at least -, but Kara’s phone interrupts her with its sudden vibration. The latter groans, looks at it and bites her lip before she hangs up. 

“Sorry.” It’s Kara who apologizes this time, still worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She eyes Lena for a second, possibly notes her questioning look and keeps on going. “That was my sister. Not that you’d be interested in knowing, of course, but uh yeah, that was her. Calling me back. Because I’ve called her earlier, a few times, that is.” A nervous laugh and a deep inhale. “I know that I could stay with her, you know? If I asked, if she knew what my apartment looked like, she wouldn’t even question it. Seriously, she would force me to stay with her, even. But she just moved in with her, uhh with her partner, and I feel like I’d intrude-” 

Lena shakes her head, both at how adorable Kara is being and simultaneously at her own, sudden and completely stupid impulse to invite her to stay with her. Fortunately, one of the plumbers takes it upon himself to stop the blonde’s rambling, looking sheepish as though he might be interrupting something important. He lets Kara know that it’ll take about a week before she can move back in, and all Lena can do is watch her features fall in silent disappointment. For a second, at most, before she’s being met with a rather weak smile. 

“I guess I’ll just have to stay at a hotel,” Kara shrugs and waves it off as if to say _‘it’s cool’_ \- again. Apparently it is, because just moments later she waves at Lena as though this might mark the end of their conversation. 

Their very first, proper one. It’s odd and certainly unfitting for it to be this way, for their first interaction that is more than a hesitant ‘good morning’, an uncertain and shy smile or an act of complete embarrassment - thanks to a mindless crush - whenever they cross paths. Lena feels like it should be more, somehow, than something surrounded by wet floors and a few men that don’t even have the decency to _act_ as if they’re not listening to their every word with strange interest. 

“Kara?” Lena calls out, before she can stop herself and right before Kara disappears back into her home that had previously been new and is now pretty much uninhabitable. 

Kara turns around, and with her three plumbers do as well. “Yeah?” she asks, eyes wide and confused, and Lena almost laughs. 

She forces the words out of her mouth before she can think of the certain humiliation that will come with her question. They don’t know each other, the encounters they’ve assembled together countable on two hands, the times they’ve actually talked to each other on _one_. It’s foolish to even entertain the thought, foolish to think of Mike’s priceless face when he hears about this, hears about Kara saying _yes_ \- because she most certainly won’t. 

“You could stay with me, if you wanted to.” 

There’s a beat of silence and Lena thinks of leaving right then and there, but ends up backtracking in another way. Not completely, just a tiny bit to, perhaps, seem less desperate. Less like she might have actually spend time beforehand, thinking about something similar, of inviting Kara to her place. “I mean, it would make sense, right? After all I _do_ live right across the hall.” That perhaps she’d enjoy the company, that perhaps she’d enjoy not being alone for once and that the thought, at the same time, almost causes her to feel sick with fear, she doesn’t mention. Of course not. This is her trying to seem less desperate, after all, not like someone who’d jump at the very idea of spending time with the pretty neighbor she’s been pining for ever since she moved in weeks ago. 

But Kara shakes her head, of course she does. “I couldn’t possibly accept that, Lena.” 

Lena is sure her brain short circuits when she hears her own name coming out of Kara’s mouth, but she soon remembers that she has more important things to worry about. She swallows to get rid of the tight knot of apprehension and fear that has started to close up her throat. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, really,” she repeats Kara’s own words. “It’d be lovely to have you, I promise.”

* * *

It's merely a few minutes later that it all seems to be settled. Two minutes in which Lena patiently listens to an indecisive Kara ramble and worry in a way that is almost endearing. So endearing, in fact, that the former curses both of them and then her inability to stop the butterflies in her chest - fluttering almost as fast as her heart is beating. 

It's ridiculous, but all she has to distract herself from those unwanted feelings is Kara's concern, or at least that is until it finally makes space for compliance on both sides. Lena offers help with the boxes full of things that Kara will need the following week and the latter accepts. Kara says that she will handle everything else regarding her apartment on her own and Lena lets her, although she does offer help more than just once. 

The boxes are light and far from heavy, but still Lena can tell that Kara feels unnecessarily upset about the help that she's providing.

“Are you still sure?” Kara asks, keeps talking before Lena gets the chance to reply. “I mean, are you _sure_ sure? For all you know I could be a serial killer.” She frowns when Lena lets out a loud laugh. “Seriously, what you're doing is not at all safe! What if-” 

“Kara,” Lena stops dead in her tracks and chuckles gently. If she wasn't currently holding a rather huge box with both of her hands, she might have extended one of them outwards and rested it on Kara's arm in what surely would have been a calming gesture. “I wouldn't have invited just _anyone_ to live with me. You are aware of that, right? And I trust that you are not a murderer.” 

Kara wants to object and thinks better of it. Lena wants to make a joke, wants to tell Kara that even if she was indeed a serial killer, she'd gladly invite her over anyways. It's not a joke at all and definitely too close to the truth, and so she, too, decides to stay quiet. 

“Okay but just so you know, I could still stay with Alex.” Lena watches as Kara frowns for a second, then smiles. “That's my sister, Alex. I mean, it would probably totally ruin their sex life and - eww, god, definitely didn't want to think of _that_. But I'm just saying-” 

Lena wonders when Kara will finally stop, can't think of anything else to say - nothing that she hasn’t already expressed. _She's glad to have Kara, it's not a problem at all, stop worrying._ She has regarded her with endless variations of words that were meant to have a calming effect, with little to no success. This time, however, she simply keeps walking and places the first box onto her living room table, then waits for Kara to follow her and do the same. 

“I'll be getting the couch ready for you once we've brought all of your stuff,” Lena hums and turns back towards Kara's apartment, smiling softly to herself when she notes the lack of objection. 

Somehow acting as though this is nothing out of the ordinary causes Lena to feel like it might actually not be, causes her steps to be more determined and the redness of her cheeks to subside. And somehow seeing Kara fiddle with the hem of her shirt as they walk back to pick up another few boxes makes her feel in control, at least more so than she had before. Her neighbor’s charming smile might be disarming, but her tentative manner has the same effect in another way entirely, and Lena's thankful for it. 

By the time they're carrying the last two cartons of Kara's prized possessions, Lena feels almost smug. She knows it won't last, that one look to her left would strike her with something too new and too uncertain to feel confident about. But she still manages to relish it for at least a little while, - the not falling apart at the mere sight of impossibly cute dimples - and a part of her even wishes that Mike's door to his apartment would open right in this moment. 

She wants him to be taken aback by their dynamic, by this situation that might almost look domestic to an outsider. Might almost look comfortable. She’s sure anyone else would be so blissfully unaware of the nervous coil in each of their bellies. A part of her wants him to see nothing but their current circumstances, Kara following Lena into her apartment and closing the door behind them. 

It’s pitiful, especially considering that the nervousness doesn't dissolve itself at all once the clicking of the door can be heard and once they're alone. They can't busy themselves with the carrying of boxes and the coil in Lena's gut grows tighter instead. Kara jumping on the couch - with that big grin of hers - and declaring it the most comfortable thing she's ever sat on alone is a source of great anxiety, and the sudden silence doesn't do much to calm Lena down either. 

Her hands she busies with mindless fiddling, but her eyes dart across the room only to find Kara again - still grinning at her. She looks impossibly tranquil and definitely not nearly nervous enough. It keeps Lena on her toes, in a way she wouldn't have expected, as she follows suit and grins as well, shows Kara around the apartment. 

She shows her where the kitchen is - tells her she can use it whenever - then shows her the bathroom and repeats her words. A dumb joke, really, but Kara almost doubles over with laughter. 

Feeling accomplished, Lena wishes Kara a good night and retreats. Although the latter lets her do so only after she's thanked her again - several times - still unable to accept that it's _fine_ , unable to see that this is the most reckless and exciting thing Lena has done in weeks. Perhaps months, perhaps _ever_. 

It's, however, only once she's in bed, that Lena realizes how nerve-wracking this situation truly is, or has the potential to be. Kara is _right there_ , in her apartment. It’s absurd. For god's sake, she doesn't even have a door between her bedroom and the rest of her space - thanks to some unforgivable enlightenment about wanting her place to seem open and welcome - despite the certain knowledge that she'd be the only one to ever see it anyways. 

A shiver runs down her spine as she listens to the rustling of sheets, merely a few feet away. She wonders if Kara can hear the soft pad of her bare feet on wooden floor, as she makes her way towards her bed. She doesn't emit a sound as she sinks into it, exhales deeply in a way she hopes to be quiet. 

Lena closes her eyes, but the strangeness of having someone here with her does nothing to slow down the beating of her heart. She could probably see Kara from where she's currently lying, if she just - 

Lena sits up, sees that Kara is still up and moving even though she had thought her to be asleep already. Instead Lena watches as the blonde stands in the living room, illuminated by nothing but moonlight, looking wonderfully at peace. Lena doesn't know what she's doing, doesn't know what exactly causes this feeling of admiration to rise in her chest, but - intrigued - she keeps watching, wonders what might happen next. 

There’s a stranger in her living room, doing strange things, and her usually empty apartment is now full of Kara. The blonde’s lips move; there are no sounds to be heard, but Lena supposes she must be murmuring something to herself, quietly. She looks wonderfully serene as she closes her eyes. Lena holds her breath, not to be caught and not wanting to interrupt. 

It takes an embarrassingly long time for her to realize that Kara is praying, but the soft smile that erupts on her lips is immediate.

* * *

As usual, Lena rises early. For a while she postpones moving, basks in the comfortable bliss that is her bed and being wrapped up in soft sheets. Closely, as to not miss anything, she listens to the birds outside, to her downstairs neighbor out of whose apartment noise seems to emit permanently. A new addition to all of the familiarity are the soft footsteps in her kitchen. Kara is new. 

A soft smile creeps onto Lena's lips, right before panic sets in. That is new as well, a kind of panic that doesn't seem final and inevitably horrible, but rather one that manifests itself as warm cheeks and a kind of giddiness that has her buzzing with anticipation and scrambling out of bed. 

The concept of changing clothes seems insignificant as bare feet hit the cold floor, even more so when her goal is Kara. 

Kara, a stranger about which she knows next to nothing. A name, an attitude, fiddling with glasses and praying at night. Blonde curls that bounce up and down as her inherently bashful nature comes out to play, the smile on her lips absent only in very few situations. 

A stranger that is now in her kitchen, rummaging through a full fridge and grinning excitedly as she does so. A stranger, who most certainly should be wearing more than pink panties and a shirt. 

Lena comes to a sudden halt, perhaps lets out a sound entirely inappropriate and watches as Kara turns to face her. Lena doesn’t know what she expects, exactly, but a bright smile is definitely not it. Her heart has forgotten how to beat, has perhaps just deemed it unnecessary, but either way Lena cannot possibly think of anything else but long, muscular legs. Can’t look anywhere else, either, her gaze alternating between different body parts that are all equally torturous, only to find those damn legs again. 

And as much as she wants to, Lena can’t even flee. She couldn’t possibly move, has to endure being taken off guard and embarrassing herself terribly by losing control like this. Something she’s definitely not used to. She hopes to be wrong, but has no doubt that Kara notices how flaming hot her cheeks have suddenly become. She must look like a mess, too, but all her neighbor does is grin sleepily. And of course, _of course_ , she’d be beautiful even like this, sleep ridden, barely awake and somehow still the most charming human being Lena’s ever met. Her glasses have been replaced by squinting eyes, but they’re as bright as ever.

Mike is going to have a field day with this, Lena knows, aware that he will find out even if she would rather keep it to herself. Not only her humiliation, but Kara’s presence in general. She doesn’t feel like sharing, selfishly wants to keep Kara in these four walls. 

“Morning,” Kara hums, takes Lena off guard yet another time with a voice that is huskier than she had expected it to be. Still sweet and soft and everything that Kara is as she flops down onto one of Lena’s kitchen chairs a moment later. “I wasn’t too loud, was I? I didn’t mean to wake you-” 

Finally, something about the way Kara tilts her head and her eyebrows furrow causes Lena to snap out of it. Her eyes leave Kara’s legs for good and focus on her face instead. She’s met with something that could be a smirk, poorly disguised by a lip bite that has her looking away again. That has her running her hand through her hair and fiddling with her own fingers. She shouldn’t be this nervous in her own kitchen, right? She shouldn’t be this nervous at home, not even with someone like Kara here. 

“Don’t worry, I was already up. The early bird catches the worm, am I right?” Lena is strangely enthusiastic, a poor attempt of gaining her confidence back. It’s unnerving for her to feel like this, disheartening that not even busying herself with making tea, a routine that is by now embedded in her whole being, seems to be of any help. 

“Right,” Kara chuckles and finally grabs a bunch of food. If Lena was able to talk, to move, to do anything at all, she might have complained about the teasing nature of said chuckle. She might have even teased back, with something as subtle as a mocking look towards the amount of food on Kara’s plate. But she doesn’t want to seem rude either, wants to be a good host and for Kara to feel welcome here. Although the latter seems to be the least of their problems, Lena notes as she turns around, leans on the kitchen counter and observes how impossibly at home the blonde looks already. 

It does things to Lena, both soothes and worries her. 

“You were up late last night,” is the only thing she can think of to say, the only _casual_ thing at least. She sips on her tea, tries not to burn her lips and yet keeps drinking in order to just do _something_ \- something that isn’t admiring her neighbor’s body that has absolutely no business looking this beautiful in her kitchen, at this time of the day. 

Kara smiles and then shrugs nonchalantly, pulling up her feet and crossing her legs on the chair she’s sitting on. It would be adorable, all of it, if it wasn’t for the lack of clothes. She continues to grab a banana, only one of many things that are now on her side of the table. 

“Oh you know, just praying,” she hums and Lena can’t help but match her smile. Even now she can tell how much it means to Kara, what an intrinsic part of her this his, how- 

And yeah, perhaps the banana that disappears in Kara’s mouth - almost fully - as she munches down happily is somewhat inappropriate considering the subject.

Lena gulps, feels her cheeks heat up even more and promptly leaves the room, her excuse of having to take a shower almost inaudible, swallowed by a million of feelings and the bathroom door.

* * *

The cold shower has a soothing effect on Lena for all of three minutes. When she leaves the bathroom again and is met with Kara - now having changed into something more appropriate - but looking just as gorgeous still, she suddenly feels hot all over again. And _this_ , she thinks, this is why she has learned how to control her impulses from a very young age on. This is why she’d spent hours being chastised by her parents, and she can’t help but think that, maybe, if she had just listened, she would’ve grown up to be a different woman entirely. Perhaps she would have grown up to be someone who doesn’t casually invite unfairly beautiful strangers into her apartment. Instead she had done so without a second thought, or one quickly pushed aside as soon as sad eyes had met her own. 

_Weak_ is the only word she can think of to describe herself now. She had been weak the previous night when she had found Kara sitting in the hallway, and she feels even weaker now as she watches her fasten the last few buttons of her shirt. The now added pants make it all feel a little safer, but neither the glasses nor chapstick clad lips help to maintain her momentary relief. 

“Are you heading out for work?” Kara asks, and Lena is almost offended about the casualty of her voice. As if they’d been doing this for months, as if it wasn’t ridiculous still. But Kara continues to smile at her while she puts on her boots, and all Lena can do to respond is nod softly. Somehow it’s enough for Kara’s grin to broaden, and somehow - to her utter dismay - Lena’s stilettos aren’t nearly enough to bring her confidence back. She stands taller in them, and on any other day she would have felt in charge now, with formal clothes and perfectly styled hair. But on any other day there hadn’t been Kara, there hadn’t been _anyone_ in her apartment, and Lena realizes how much those damn shoes cause her feet to ache.

“Cool, I am too,” Kara hums, is already waiting for Lena at the door when the latter grabs her coat and fixes her lipstick with shaky hands. “You ready?” 

“Sure am,” Lena mumbles under her breath and follows Kara out of the door and into the hallway. She notes that their roles seem to be reversed, notes that she doesn’t mind. Kara is confident in the most innocent way possible, and all Lena can do is admire it - amongst other things; it’s not every day that she gets to walk this closely behind Kara, after all. 

She almost feels humiliated when she looks up only to see Mike’s face grinning at her from within the elevator, keeping the door open for them. 

He’s watching them approach with wide eyes and a smirk that grows more smug with each step they take, with each look that Kara regards Lena with. Despite herself, despite still shaking limbs and despite feeling sick to her stomach, Lena smirks back at him. That petty part of her still wants to seem confident, still wants to engage in their childish competition and prove herself to Mike. It might have been born out of nothing but a completely avoidable impulse, but still Kara lives with her now, and still Lena feels like she’s won somehow. 

Mike seems unsure about that last part, but it doesn’t at all stop him from captivating their attention with raised eyebrows and mindless teasing. 

“Morning.” He eyes them both curiously, keeps grinning cockily. “Did you two just come out of the same apartment?” 

Lena rolls her eyes at the mocking undertone of his words, but Kara nods eagerly, that bright smile of hers still firmly set in place. “I moved in last night!”

Apparently, Lena thinks, she’s not only unaware of Mike’s intentions, but perhaps also of the implications that her words hold.

Leaning back against the wall, Mike looks at Lena and embarrasses her further. “The infamous U-Haul, huh?”

Lena feels her cheeks turn red and her heart speed up while Kara reduces her own reaction to nothing but furrowed eyebrows. She notes how flustered Lena is, she _has to_ , but in the end all she does is tilt her head and regard Mike with a curious look. “What?” 

The way Lena’s stomach sinks is more humiliating than the situation itself. The joke is lost on Kara, which can only mean that _clearly_ she is not gay. 

“Nevermind.” Lena mumbles and Mike begins his reconciliation process by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Although the effort is minimal, and soon he has that look on his face again. Lena knows it means trouble, but apparently she is not only impulsive but also stupid, doesn’t do anything to prevent the victorious grin from spreading on his lips. “God, Kara, I can’t believe you got to bang her firs-” 

The elevator rings, the door opens and Lena exhales in relief. 

“Oh great, we’re here! I totally have to go now.” She frees herself from Mike’s gentle grasp and avoids Kara’s gaze at all costs as she scrambles out of the elevator and towards the front door. Her attempt, however, fails. Soft footsteps right behind her tell Lena that Kara isn’t that easy to shake off, and she almost smiles when she hears her call out an excited “bye Mike” over her shoulder. 

“So I’m just gonna follow you - join you … I mean, to the front door. I’m sure our ways will separate after that, but you know, I’m just gonna- just gonna shut up.”

Kara rambles and Lena feels some of that lost confidence return, believes her neighbor to be adorned with red cheeks when she turns to say goodbye as well.

* * *

Being nervous and weak at home is one thing, but bringing all of it into her office is simply unacceptable for Lena. Thinking about Kara while she’s right there in her kitchen is something that she can deal with, but letting it become a distraction at work is an entirely inadmissible source of frustration. Of course having someone live with her is a big deal, of course having Kara live with her is something that will occupy her mind at all times, but for someone who has always strictly separated pleasure and business, the image of red cheeks, blonde curls and naked legs is definitely too much to handle at work. 

Not even Mike’s obvious bewilderment manages to make up for his teasing and Kara’s response, and nothing will be able to stop her from buzzing with both fear and anticipation when she knows she’ll get to go home to Kara tonight. It’s just a neighborly favor and - although that is definitely new - shouldn’t cause her to feel this restless. 

She feels less like an adult and more like a crushing teenager, feels almost out of place in the only environment she usually dominates so easily. Her striding through hallways and turning heads in the process has now become tentative stumbling through business meetings. She abandons lunch and cuts dinner short in a pathetic attempt of drowning out hopeless thoughts about the girl who has not only inhabited her apartment but her mind also, hopes that three glasses of scotch instead of just one will provide further help with said mission. 

When Lena finally finishes everything up it’s already after midnight, but the numbers on her watch barely surprise her. She’s spent the entire night here too many times to mind, but her first thought this time is dedicated to Kara, and how incredibly smart it had been to give her a key to the apartment. Despite herself, she then smiles, wonders what the blonde is up to now. The momentary anger she felt towards herself for thinking about Kara _again_ is washed away by all of the endearing images she can conjure in her mind. Lena practically runs towards the cab that is already waiting for her. She’s off work now, and she’s allowed to have a crush, no matter how hopeless. 

Still, even the walk from the elevator to her apartment seems like torture at this time of the night, even more so with the added uncertainty of what will lie behind that door. 

It’s nothing at all threatening, just Kara on the couch and already fast asleep. 

There are an insane amount of empty plates on the table next to her, Lena can tell so even in the dark, but when she quietly moves towards the kitchen - not allowing herself to look at a sleeping Kara more than she already had - she finds a sticky note on the fridge. 

“Left some dinner for you in the fridge,” it says on the little piece of paper, in bright pink letters, followed by an added smiley face. Lena, ever the sap, takes the note and reads it one more time, is startled terribly when a voice suddenly speaks up behind her. 

“Did you really work this long?” Kara asks, and when Lena turns around she finds the blonde now sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket she knows to be soft and her hair absolutely dishevelled. She’s being regarded with a sleepy smile and scrunched up eyes, her neighbor very obviously barely awake. 

“Yeah,” Lena sighs and moves closer, still carefully holding the precious note. “You made dinner?” 

Kara simply nods, stretches and yawns loudly before she properly replies. “I thought you’d want some, didn’t know you worked this late.” 

Lena can’t stop her lips from curving up into a bright smile, one that’ll hurt if she keeps it up for much longer. “Thank you, Kara.” She’s incredibly genuine and it shows, if Kara’s sigh and the way she flops back down is anything to by. 

“Go back to sleep, okay?” Lena asks after a few comfortable beats of silence have passed, but when she leans over the couch to make sure that Kara is okay, the latter has already done just that. 

Lena still feels drunk when she moves towards her own room, although the drinks have worn off long ago, and she’s pretty sure that damn smile is still going to be plastered onto her lips when she wakes up the next morning.

* * *

It is. She’s still smiling by the time morning rolls around, but just like that she is also in a rush, and so it wears off quickly. Lena barely gets to say either goodmorning or goodbye to Kara - for once wearing proper pants already-, and before she knows it she is back in her office, trying very hard to keep her composure. She’s the boss, she’s strong and dominant, and a sleepy blonde doesn’t at all make her feel giddy still. 

The night before and the feelings that came with it had taken her off guard, to say the least, but nothing compares to her surprise when there’s an incoming message on her personal phone that night. It’s one of her many possessions that rarely ever get used. Her business partners call her on her business phone, so does her secretary and pretty much everyone else. She doesn’t have friends, and so her personal phone stays quiet for the most part. 

It’s a welcome surprise, however, when she sees Kara’s name pop up on her screen, accompanied by the adorable picture that the blonde had taken for her. It’s only when she opens the message with shaky fingers and reads its contents, that Lena realizes how late it is already. After nine is still early for her, but insanely late considering she’s been here since eight this morning, and Kara seems to agree with the latter. 

“It’s late, you should come home.” 

It’s definitely what the message is saying, and yet Lena has to read it several times for that fact to knock home. It’s surreal and causes her cheeks to heat up, and yet she’s up and moving in seconds. She abandons her work and the half finished glass of scotch, ignores her aching feet and sprints towards the cab that is waiting for her. She doesn’t bother to message back, wouldn’t know what to say anyways and isn’t sure she wants to worry about having to come up with something casual - something that doesn’t give away how this damn smile won’t leave her lips no matter what. 

It’s scary, too, the realization that no one has ever done this before - that no one has ever cared enough. It hits her hard, but before she can dwell on the feeling they’ve arrived at her apartment. 

The first thing Lena notes when she opens the door is what a _mess_ her apartment is. It’s an unfamiliar sight, her place usually everything but this. It’s always clean, always perfect and without any cracks that might reveal that she herself has some too. Because Lena is careful, is composed and always striving to be perfect - has to be - and so her apartment should be a mirror of that. But now it is dishevelled, is adorned with blankets and food everywhere, with wine and - most importantly - a just as dishevelled looking Kara grinning at her from where she’s comfortably sitting on the couch. And Lena finds that perhaps she doesn’t mind the mess, after all, that perhaps she even likes it in some strange way. 

“You came!” Kara sounds too enthusiastic to be genuine, but even Lena who usually jumps at any opportunity to get down on herself can see that she is, indeed, genuine. Her smile is an obvious indication of it and so is the way she excitedly pats the space next to her. “I ordered chinese food! Didn’t know your order so I just, you know, kind of bought most things available?” 

Kara is blushing, but Lena doesn’t think there’s anything to be embarrassed about. Her own cheeks have turned red as soon as she has entered the apartment, and so she’s in no position to tell Kara to calm down. 

“And I bought some wine as well! And thought that maybe we could watch a movie? Just if you want that, of course.” 

“Kara-” Lena’s tone is gentle as she wants nothing but to stop Kara’s nervous rambling, to tell her that it’s okay, but the blonde takes it the wrong way. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries. It’s just, it was only this morning that I realized how long you’ve worked last night and I thought that maybe you’d appreciate a break and a nice evening to wind down and-” 

“Kara,” Lena repeats, more determined this time, as she sits down next to Kara and gladly takes the blanket that she offers her. Lena then looks at Kara, smiles and shifts a little closer. “Thank you, really. I do need this.” 

Kara beams and Lena doesn’t even mind when the blonde immediately grabs more food and then continues to talk with her mouth full of it. “I thought we could start with Star Wars. Have you seen Star Wars? God, please tell me you’ve seen it-”

* * *

Lena eventually falls asleep with her head resting on Kara’s shoulder, had seen it coming and done nothing about it. It had been avoidable, really, but Lena had felt all warm and tingly and Kara had pretty much welcomed her with open arms, had made sure to shift closer at any given opportunity. And so she really doesn’t feel, even now as she wakes up in a position entirely different, that it had been her fault. 

Kara had been adorable, had cared, had poked fun at her for not _really_ knowing Star Wars. She had then - in her own sweet way- made sure that Lena knew it was just a joke, had stuck out her tongue whenever Lena herself had fired back. It had been perfect, and so falling asleep had been easy for once. 

When Lena wakes up again she’s still on the couch, although she is not sitting anymore. Instead she’s lying next to Kara. She can tell so even without opening her eyes fully, can feel strong arms around her and knows, freaks out about the fact that one of her legs is draped across both of Kara’s. It’s insanely comfortable, too cozy to properly freak out, and so she decides to instead bask in the bliss that is Kara holding her for a little longer. It’s a one-time opportunity, really, since they’re just gals being pals, and so she cherishes the way Kara seems to hold on a little tighter whenever she moves even in the slightest. 

It’s affirming their blooming friendship, and when Lena finally does open her eyes, she’s met with blue ones already looking at her. It’s intimate, of course, but Kara’s bright smile screams nothing but innocence. The blonde stretches and yawns and wishes Lena a good morning, and while they should definitely get up, they both seem to postpone that one step in particular. Perhaps it would aid to make this all seem normal, like nothing out of the ordinary was happening on this couch, if they just got up - but by the time they finally move, both of them are already late for work. 

It’s not a big deal, really, especially considering the content smiles that seem to be plastered onto both of their faces all day long. 

And by the time they see each other again after work - although a few text messages had been exchanged - their smiles are still firmly set in place, only to be dissolved by heavy banging on the front door. 

Lena frowns at first, then hastily gets up from where they’ve been chatting to investigate. Upon opening the door she’s met with a woman, perhaps a few years older than herself, dark, short hair and sporting an expression Lena can immediately make out to be concern. From the way her eyes are flitting through the room behind her, Lena can tell that she must be looking for someone, and her suspicion gets confirmed merely seconds later. 

“Where is Kara?” The woman asks frantically, then exhales in relief when the girl she’s been looking for steps into frame and smiles sheepishly at her. 

Lena would guess her to be a friend, an ex perhaps, but the manner in which she so clearly cares about Kara is something that she’s only ever seen one other person in her life do. She knows immediately that this must be Kara’s infamous sister. The panicked expression still settled on her face doesn’t particularly make any sense to Lena, but she steps to the side nonetheless, to make space for Kara and to let the both of them talk. 

“Alex, what are you doing here?” Kara sounds genuinely surprised, but Lena knows the face of a little sister who is aware that she’s going to be in trouble, has been in that exact position many, many times in her life. And Kara is definitely wearing it now, as she fiddles with her glasses and tries her best to sustain a nervous smile. 

“What I’m doing here?! You wouldn’t answer any of my phone calls, and the messages you’ve sent me have been more than ambiguous!” 

“Alex,” Kara starts and Lena believes that her neighbor might not even be mad at her sister interrupting her immediately, possibly hadn’t known where to go with this anyways. 

Lena excuses herself to the kitchen, doesn’t want to intrude even though this is her apartment still, and feels torn whether to be worried or amused about the interaction happening at her front door. Even from where she’s standing now, she can both see and hear their conversation perfectly - although she does try to at least act like she’s not interested enough in it to actually eavesdrop. 

“And so I come here to visit you, because I was worried, just to find that your apartment is literal trash! What the hell, Kara?! And while I’m panicking about said fact, your neighbor Mike shows up to tell me that you’ve moved in with a woman named Lena - hi, by the way -” she sends an apologetic smile towards Lena, for the first time properly addressing her, and yet the dark haired woman can’t help but think that her smile will turn into something more sinister soon enough; judging alone by the fact that Mike has been brought up in the conversation. “That you’ve moved in with a woman named Lena to have a week long _‘bangcation’_. That’s what he called it, Kara! What the hell is going on?” 

The woman, Alex - Lena assumes - is still panicking, only that now Kara is too. She watches the blonde’s eyes widen as she turns around to send her an apologetic smile as well, before she gently pushes her sister out of the apartment and closes the door behind them. 

Lena can still hear them, guesses that at least Alex isn’t aware of that simple fact. 

“Seriously, what the hell? We don’t get to talk for a few days and suddenly you move in with your hot neighbor?!” 

Lena grins to herself, although she’s anxious to hear Kara’s response. 

“It’s not like that,” she hears her neighbor say, tries to ignore the way disappointment takes over. “I just, you’ve seen what a mess my apartment is. Lena’s offered me to stay with her, and she’s been incredibly nice to me!” 

She imagines there to be a sigh - but while the walls are thin, _that_ she can’t pick up on - because the tone of Alex’s voice is notably calmer after that. Some sort of reconciliation is happening, and Lena kind of despises that damn door that separates her from them.

“Please tell me you’re not actually on a - okay, no, not going to repeat that. The thing that Mike said, please tell me you aren’t actually-” 

“Alex, Lena and I are friends!! Just because you have now married one of your former best friends doesn’t mean I have to do the same, you know?” Despite herself and despite the increase of disappointment, Lena chuckles at Kara’s words. She knows why when the door opens again and Alex looks terrified, still, in a way that only a big sister could. It’s incredibly charming to watch, and when the woman then continues to apologize for her _not-so-ideal_ arrival, Lena can’t help but tell her that it’s alright. 

Kara keeps looking sheepish even once Alex has left, and the silence between the two of them is rather awkward, until one of them finally mentions Mike’s words again and they both break out into loud laughter.

* * *

Alex stops by a second time, merely a day later. Lena disappears into the kitchen once she knows who it is that knocked at her door, almost laughs at the number of visitors she suddenly has. Her door hadn’t previously made as much contact with fists, and strangely enough it’s only now that Lena starts to mind. Alex is here with the pretense of something she calls ‘game night’, that - from what Lena can pick up on - usually takes place at Kara’s. The latter, of course, immediately shakes her head, tells Alex how inappropriate and insensitive that would be, now that she lives with Lena. 

But she looks rather disappointed about it, too, and so Lena stops acting as though she wasn’t eavesdropping - again - and carefully approaches the door. She gently infiltrates their conversation, shy smile set in place.

“You can totally host that game night of yours here,” she begins, notes how Kara’s lips curve into a bright smile and decides to up herself further. “I’ll even get out of your way, it’s no problem at all.” 

That, at least, Kara isn’t having. Lena flushes notably when the blonde starts shaking her head again, as though she might not quite believe the words that have just come out of her mouth. “Of course you don’t have to leave, Lena! It’s your apartment! But you could join us. You know, only if you want to, of course,” there’s a beat of silence in which Kara grows impossibly more excited and then turns to properly face Alex again. “Lena can join game night, right? I mean, she’s my friend now.” 

Lena can clearly see Alex’s apprehension, but just like that she can also see Kara’s wide eyes and a bottom lip that is sticking out adorably, and so she understands why Alex simply sighs and nods in the end. “Sure.”

She had no other choice, really, and somehow it makes Lena feel a little calmer - knowing that Kara is irresistible not only to her. That Kara calling her _her friend_ truly means something. That it’s not a just a few stupid, insignificant words that cause her cheeks to heat up, but rather a sign of affection that let’s even an older sister know how welcome she is to join something like game night. 

And still, still Lena feels like a part of why Alex came by again has something to do with Mike’s words from the day before. That game night was merely a pretense and the two of them possibly sleeping together the real reason for her visit. Lena can’t blame Alex for wanting to protect her sister, but she _does_ blame her for making the following conversation impossibly more awkward. 

Because once Alex leaves, the apartment is quiet for a while; and when it’s not anymore, it’s filled with awkward mumbles and nervous laughter and two, wide pairs of eyes avoiding each other at all costs. 

Even the conclusion they eventually settle on has Lena’s cheeks burning in a way she’s never known before. 

“I mean, of course we’re not-” 

“Yeah, and you’re not even-” 

“Right, and _you’re_ not either-” 

They both nod vigorously despite the unfinished state of each of those sentences - just to get this conversation over with -, and they hate how close they suddenly are on Lena’s couch. It had previously seemed incredibly huge, is still easily big enough for Kara to sleep on; but suddenly it’s also crammed and small. Forcing them, almost, to shift closer still. 

And suddenly Lena’s hand is resting on Kara’s naked legs. Pants are apparently overrated, still, but she truly hadn’t meant to reach out. To _actually_ touch Kara. Perhaps it had been an accident of some sorts, but Lena can feel the warmth of Kara’s skin beneath her fingertips, goosebumps erupting immediately, then notes that their knees are now brushing too. She doesn’t understand what’s happening, not at all, but what Lena _does_ know is that her heartbeat must be spiking, that her breathing is labored and her eyes unfocused.

Lena gulps, looks up only to find blue eyes fixated on her chest, slightly opened pink lips and Kara exhaling shakily. And when their eyes meet, she swallows again, watches in fascination as her neighbor’s eyes wander to her neck. And although impossible, Lena thinks it might be the sole reason for her sudden inability to breathe properly.

“And obviously we’re not, you know,... sleeping together,” Kara says, but Lena realizes it might be more of a hoarse whisper. 

She feels a tight coil forming in her stomach, tries to nervously laugh it away. But she feels breathless, barely lets out any sound at all. “Right, we’re really not.” 

Lena feels drawn to Kara; a feeling that had been building in her chest all week. From when she had first seen Kara, really, but now it seems like one subtle touch might be enough to set it all off. 

It’s the worst moment for her fingers to start drawing soft patterns on Kara’s smooth skin, the worst moment for Kara to bite her lower lip like _that_. It’s the worst moment for their eyes to meet and for Lena to feel Kara’s gaze everywhere, not only on her chest - where her eyes keep drifting to still - but throbbing between her legs. It’s torture. It’s _exciting_ torture, and perhaps that’s the worst part of it all. 

The statement is entirely true - _they’re not sleeping together; they never will_ \- and yet it sounds ridiculous. Considering the way she is losing control of her hands and how they keep moving up further and further - 

Lena gets up abruptly, laughs it all off and waves her hand awkwardly. “God, it’s so late already, isn’t it? I should totally go to sleep.”

Kara is quiet for a moment, then nods and quickly crosses her legs when Lena gets up. “Night, Lena.” 

“Night, Kara.” 

Neither of them mention that it’s barely nine.

* * *

Lena feels almost hyperaware after that; from the way her soft sheets feel on her burning skin to the way Kara is still moving restlessly. Nights for the blonde usually seem to consist of a prayer, followed by immediate and deep sleep. Lena knows as much, has found her fast asleep while quietly getting a glass of cold water many, many times. 

But now she’s moving, and every little noise that she makes is torturous. Lena actively listens for them, and still winces whenever they occur. 

Kara is breathing just a little too loudly for it to be normal, the sheets are still rustling even minutes later and then - Lena hears a whimper. She writes it off as a dream induced sound Kara has no responsibility for; but then it happens again. And again, louder this time. 

Lena curses her own labored breathing, listens carefully to every little grunt and whimper, now sounding all desperate; needy, almost. She thinks that all of the beautiful sounds Kara emits must be quiet and muffled, but to Lena they’re now loud and clear - all that she can focus on. It feels almost surreal, but clearly they’re _real_ , clearly Kara’s- 

“Oh fuck…”

It’s barely a whisper, perhaps just a soft exhale, but Lena hears it. She hears it, then feels ashamed for the way her fingers trace her stomach, feels ashamed for the way she so instinctively opens her legs and lets her hand disappear between them.

She is throbbing, and impossibly wet already. 

Kara is so close, is only a few feet away, and it drives Lena crazy. She strokes her clit with every single noise, every little whimper that Kara clearly tries her best not to let out. And she pictures her, with her hands between her legs, a sweet smile on her lips and looking absolutely desperate for release. Thrashing and sweating perhaps, a hand covering her mouth. It’s not enough, not at all helping to quiet any of the wonderful sounds that have Lena climbing higher and higher- 

“Yes, just like that!”

They reach climax at the same time. Kara is entirely too loud for an apartment this small and a moment this secretive, but Lena doesn’t mind. All she can hope for is that Kara’s moans have overshadowed the soft name that has escaped her lips at the peak of it all. 

There’s no way to tell, because after that it’s eerily quiet. Neither of them move, their post orgasmic panting reduced to soft huffs of air against their pillows. 

Lena silently corrects herself. Inviting a stranger to live with her wasn’t the most reckless thing she has ever done, but rather _this_ is. She’s buzzing with adrenaline, with fear; and despite everything, she falls asleep with a grin on her lips.

* * *

When Lena wakes up the next morning, an immediate wave of ignorant bliss and then doubt washes over her. Trying to process the previous night seems impossible, just like the event itself seem surreal still. Had they really done that? Had _Kara_ really done that? The answer Lena instinctively wants to reach for is _no_. A clear no, without even the slightest of doubts. Lena would have believed herself, if it wasn’t for the stickiness of her inner thighs and Kara’s whimpers still ingrained in the very forefront of her mind. If she listened closely enough, she’d be able to hear her come all over again. The idea sends a shiver down her spine, and so she listens to the birds singing and her downstairs neighbor instead. 

The soft footsteps emitting from her kitchen are what throws her off again. They’re still new, and they now mean confrontation. They mean getting up and facing Kara. They mean talking to her, mean acknowledging things she sure as hell won’t bring up herself, not ever. If it was for her, she’d keep that longing inside and take it with her into the shower - where she was alone and Kara wouldn’t be able to hear her as she brought herself to relief. Not like the night before, where the blonde might as well have been listening.

For all Lena knows she should just stay put. Her panties are ruined, the amount of clothing she’s wearing very minimal, her hair dishevelled; and she has absolutely no idea what is going to happen next. Every single thing that usually brings composure and confidence is now lacking. But it feels _good_. It’s a shocking revelation, that uncertainty now means excitement instead of fear. And Lena feels _giddy_ , even, is smiling as she quietly gets up and tries to sneak to the bathroom. 

It’s not at all a surprise that Kara sees her, and yet Lena’s heart stops beating momentarily. Her whole body comes to a sudden halt, their eyes meet and then simultaneously travel down each other’s bodies. This, whatever it might be, feels almost familiar now, feels so very similar to their encounter on the couch. 

“Morning.” Kara sounds impossibly smug; and it does things to Lena. Even worse, she’s grinning knowingly. 

Lena, however, looks like a deer caught in headlights even when she casts her eyes downwards and flees towards the bathroom.

In any other situation Kara’s confidence would have been a source of arousal, Lena has to admit as she steps into the shower, but now it almost makes her feel sick. Clearly Kara knows what she’s done, clearly she’ll face humiliation once she steps out of this room and joins her neighbor in the kitchen. Perhaps she’ll be laughed at, perhaps she’ll be humored, pitied; or perhaps- 

Lena refrains from thinking about it further, but in the end her hand finds its way between her legs either way. 

Getting ready is usually something Lena doesn’t spend all that much time doing, but her time in the bathroom this morning is elongated; not only for a pleasurable moment but also the need to psyche herself up before actually daring to go out there. 

Kara, to Lena’s utter frustration, seems to be doing just fine. She’s drinking her coffee, is leaning against the kitchen counter in a manner so thoroughly composed that Lena feels almost envious. Kara’s wearing pants, although incredibly short, and Lena even admires how confident she seems to feel in those - while she herself feels out of place in her own kitchen and uncomfortable in her skirt that is entirely too tight. She’s been craving something this entire week, has gotten more than ever anticipated. And yet, now that Kara is looking at her like _this_ , her momentary pleasure is nothing compared to the embarrassment that is slowly taking over. 

She watches as Kara sets her coffee to the side, watches the blonde open her mouth and then close it again. And although Lena is not religious, she feels - childishly - desperate enough to pray, to- 

“About last night…” 

The three words she hadn’t wanted Kara to say. In various deviations, of course, but the gist of them always the same. Always causing her breath to catch in her throat and her cheeks to heat up. She had wanted Kara to say anything but this, had hoped she’d get away with awkward small-talk and a quick leave. 

Lena gulps and shakes her head, her eyes averted. “Kara, I don’t think we-” 

“Have to talk about it?” When Lena looks up again, Kara’s eyebrows are raised. “I think it’s important that we do.” 

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Lena murmurs, entirely unconvincing and very obviously flustered. 

There are a few beats of silence in which an uncomfortable tension turns into something else. Lena catches Kara’s eyes on her chest and her own wandering down the latter’s body. And she catches Kara smirking, still, taking a few steps closer. 

Lena quickly looks away again, busies herself with making tea. She’s about to open the fridge when she feels Kara’s breath on her neck. Lena shivers, exhales shakily and lets go of the fridge she’s now being pressed against. Kara moves closer and as soon as Lena’s hot cheek hits cold, there’s a brush of soft lips against her neck, moving up to her ear and nibbling on it mischievously. 

Lena lets out a long drawn out moan, and feels entirely too overwhelmed to be humiliated. 

“I was thinking about you.”

Lena frowns, comes back to herself for a second; the words are too surreal, even considering the circumstances. “W-what?” 

“When I fucked myself last night, Lena. I was thinking about you,” Kara chuckles, somehow manages to sound innocent still. It’s the contrast that does it for Lena, seeing those wide, genuine eyes when she looks over her shoulder, paired with those filthy words escaping still smiling lips. 

And then there’s hesitance, too. Just enough for Kara to pull back a little, for her own cheeks to heat up. Her laughter is nervous and her fingers fiddling with the hem of Lena’s skirt, her eyes cast downward. “Is that okay?” 

Kara looks up at her, with a smile so utterly genuine that Lena’s confidence returns. Kara makes her feel brave like she’s never been before. Lena takes a deep breath and surges forward, connects their lips in a bruising kiss and smiles into it when Kara returns it just as passionately. 

Lena moans, although looking back on it she’s very unsure whether it had been her own or Kara’s. She feels it all at once, then, Kara’s lips against her own, the hard surface she’s still being pressed against in the most gentle of ways, and careful hands tugging on her blouse, trying so very hard to reach some of Lena’s skin. 

Kara unbuttons Lena’s blouse with shaky hands, tosses it aside hastily. Lena feels hot all over, has a one track mind that wants nothing but Kara. Lena craves her, feels desperate for her neighbors touch and yet finds exploring hands to be not nearly enough. They’re cold against her warm skin, cause goosebumps to erupt wherever they wander. Lena feels like begging. 

“Please.” It’s the only thing she can possibly think of to say, her mind full of soft lips that are now placing kisses all over her abdomen. Not even those are enough. “Please, Kara, I need-” 

Kara complies with a grin, and all Lena can do is watch with lidded eyes as she kneels on the cold floor only to place more kisses all over her stomach, to nuzzle her soft skin and bite softly whenever she finds a spot that has Lena moan softly. 

There’s nothing that Lena can hold onto, although she so desperately needs something to steady herself. She settles on tangling her hands in Kara’s hair, unconsciously guiding the blonde lower and lower, until she can hear another soft chuckle, followed by the zipper of her skirt. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” It’s a soft whisper that gets lost against Lena’s inner thigh, once her skirt has been pulled down. The dark haired woman barely hears the compliment at all, her mind mudded, her own, heavy breathing so much louder. But she can feel it - can feel soft huffs of air against her exposed skin. And it feels too slow, the tracing of kisses towards her center. Her underwear is still firmly in place, too, and all Lena wants is for it to be faster. She needs more, needs- 

“Kara, please, I can’t-” 

_I can’t take it_ , she wants to say - but what stops her from doing so is not only her own, loud moan when Kara starts kissing her through the utterly annoying fabric of her panties, but rather how wrong the statement itself is. She _can_ take it, doesn’t want it to ever stop. 

Lena whimpers loudly when Kara’s mouth leaves her - for just a second - in order to finally get rid of the excess clothing; and that although it hadn’t previously been nearly enough. She wants Kara back, wants her to feel closer still, even when Kara’s sweet mouth is finally where she now needs it most. Lena’s brain short circuits with every gentle lick, every soft nibble. She cries out, pushes Kara’s head closer against her body in sheer desperation. 

In another attempt of somehow gaining more friction, Lena hooks her leg around Kara’s shoulder, careful as to not dig the heel of her stilettos into the blonde’s smooth skin. It’s an action so instinctive, driven by need and nothing else; but it does give her neighbor more access, more room to worship and pleasure and- 

Kara’s tongue hits an incredibly sensitive spot and suddenly Lena feels like she might _die_ if Kara doesn’t keep going. For some reason she feels on the brink of tears already, can’t refrain from crying out and grinding against her neighbor’s face in a desperate search for release. 

She’s so very close already, and when she then opens her eyes for all of one second and gets to admire the view beneath her, she’s over with. Kara’s so eager, so beautiful, and Lena happily loses herself in that. 

“Ahh fuck! Fuck Kara, I think I’m -” 

And she does, reaches her release with the help of Kara’s long fingers; then feels like she might actually faint.

But Kara’s got her - keeps nibbling gently at first, then kisses up her stomach with swollen lips until she can tenderly wrap her arms around Lena to steady her. 

For quite a while Lena just relishes Kara’s warmth and her soft kisses, but when she opens her eyes again she’s met with a grin so excited and simultaneously smug, that it might either belong to a little child or a cocky teenage boy. Or perhaps just Kara, looking at her with the most loving eyes and licking her lips sinfully. “Coming.” 

It takes a while for Lena to realize that she’s just finished her previous, utterly orgasmic sentence; but when she does, she slaps the blonde’s arm playfully. And to her own dismay, she even grants Kara a chuckle. 

“You still have…” Lena doesn’t know how exactly she should point out that remains of her own wetness are still smeared all over Kara’s face, isn’t sure whether she wants it to be gone just yet. And Kara herself doesn’t seem to mind either, merely sticks out her tongue and then continues to nuzzle Lena’s nose anyways. 

It feels like a punch to her stomach when her eyes then catch the clock above the front door and she realizes what time it is already, and she reluctantly has to pull back from sensual kisses that could very easily lead into something more. 

“Shit, I’m so sorry Kara, but I’m late for work and-”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Kara simply shakes her head and helps Lena to fasten the buttons of her blouse; the latter unable not to admire the sight in front of her. She smiles when Kara regards her with one last, quick kiss to the corner of her mouth, and whines when the blonde pulls back just as quickly. 

“But you didn’t-” 

She’s being cut off with another kiss, after which Kara rolls her eyes playfully. “It’s okay, go.” 

So without thinking, still feeling somewhat taken off guard, Lena nods and starts making her way towards the door. She doesn’t expect the arm that wraps itself around her waist and pulls her back again; and neither does she expect another, soft kiss to her neck. “You might want to check your makeup first.”

* * *

Lena laughs at her past self for _ever_ having felt distracted at work before. Days where she hadn’t been able to focus on anything at all, even after the promise that business and pleasure were to be separated at all times. Her office isn’t a place to ponder about life, to think about memories and events that - in the end - reduce her to nothing but insecurities. And she laughs at herself, for ever having thought avoiding those thoughts had been hard before. Because, she’s sure of it, there is nothing that compares to still feeling Kara between her legs. 

Her degrading laugh turns into a soft smile, and she closes her eyes as she tries to remember soft lips on her skin. As she tries to remember all of the beautiful sounds Kara had made - if only to not let surrealism take those moments away from her. Because if anything, they feel unreal. They’re not what she had expected, and even though they make her grin like a teenage girl, she tries to push them away in order to keep up with her own rule. Business and pleasure cannot coincide within the four walls of her office.

Kara, however, cannot be bound to one room only. A blonde, hot neighbor that seemed to have moved in only for the sole purpose of torturing Lena. She had turned into some kind of playful competition between her and Mike, one not at all meant to be degrading, one which source was the genuine interest of wanting to get to know her. Kara had smiled and waved at both of them, their eyes had met and immediately grins had broken out on Lena’s and Mike’s face. Acknowledging their feelings towards the new girl next door, and women in general, had essentially kickstarted their relationship. In the end, neither of them had been bold enough to actually ask her out; and so Kara had become this unattainable, perfect human being who awkwardly smiled at Lena whenever they met, and started the craziest small-talk at seven each morning. 

It’s crazy to think that she’s so much more now - than the pretty girl next door. Playful competition has made room for something more _real_ , and although Lena is childishly proud for winning (after this morning, she’s sure of her victory), she thinks that perhaps even losing would have been better than never getting to know her like this. And it’s not only the way she seems to always lose her pants, but rather the innocence in that simple act of not caring at all. 

Kara is more than the pretty girl next door, and yet Lena’s heart begins to hammer in her chest when she receives a message from said neighbor. It simply tells her to come home, that the guests will arrive soon, and somehow those few words seem so domestic that Lena doesn’t want to refer to Kara as her _neighbor_ anymore. Roommate, perhaps? Person that ate her out in the kitchen this morning?

Lena groans in frustration, downs the rest of her scotch; and then another. She’s not necessarily an alcoholic, wouldn’t ever call herself one. But game night in this context might as well mean meeting the family, meeting Alex officially, and she absolutely cannot do that sober. 

A few minutes in the cab as well as a few pep-talks to herself later and she opens the door to her apartment again. Lena can’t remember the last time she’s been here this early, can’t remember how intrinsically the afternoon light changes the whole setting. Her place feels warm now, feels welcoming, and Lena doesn’t dare wonder whether it’s the sun still filtering through the windows, or Kara. All she usually knows after work is moonlight and a comfortable bed, but now all of the rooms are bright, look like someone might actually be living in there.

Lena wonders if perhaps she should have asked Kara if some more snacks were needed, if she should pick some up, but discards the thought as soon as her eyes find the living room table. She can barely contain her smile, realizing that _of course_ Kara would make sure to be prepared. The amount of food on that table is endless, the tower of boardgames higher than the table itself; and Lena is almost sure that if she looked, she’d find the fridge to be full of alcoholic beverages and more. 

It’s charming, and so is Kara’s smile when Lena finally finds it. Although she finds other, more troublesome, things as well. Kara is wearing pants, but calling her shirt barely unbuttoned would be an exaggeration still. And so Lena finds abs. Six of them, impossibly defined and dangerously distracting. And when she looks up again, she finds Kara who has most certainly followed her gaze and is now regarding her with a curious tilt of her head; in a manner that could be almost described as cocky. 

“Sorry, I was just about to change.” 

But Kara’s grinning, and something tells Lena that she isn’t sorry at all. She blushes either way, quickly averts her gaze elsewhere and tries to busy herself with mindless activities around the house.

“And I didn’t mean to stare,” she mumbles after a short while, still not directly looking at Kara in any way. “Sorry.” 

It’s needless for both of them to say that _she_ isn’t sorry either. Not this time, although she is worried still. How couldn’t she be, when every other look towards the clock above the door reveals how close they are to not being alone anymore, how close Lena is to essentially being a third wheel all night long. 

“I don’t mind you staring, you know? I was - I mean, just _maybe_ \- possibly - I was hoping you’d look.” Kara’s the one blushing now, and although Lena can’t quite decide whether the former is genuine or just trying to make her feel better, she gladly takes this opportunity to upgrade her own confidence. And to admire a Kara that still has no business being this adorable. 

“Really now?” Lena chuckles, nervously, and opens the fridge to confirm her previous assumption. There are enough drinks to satisfy more people than the amount that is supposedly going to show up, but Kara closes the door shut before she can reach for one. 

Again, she can just guess as to what Kara’s intentions might be, but suddenly she doesn’t really care all that much either. Being backed up against this fridge is something that now holds a lot of implications, and Lena is definitely not above being sucked back into them. She is glad to let Kara take the lead another time, even if her breathing is already labored again. 

“Should we talk about what happened this morning?” Kara asks and Lena doesn’t answer; somehow the question seems rhetorical. The blonde is too close for her to focus on anything else anyways, and the way she’s already playing with the hem of Lena’s skirt just as distracting. “We should totally talk about it, right?” 

Lena nods, but doesn’t bother to elaborate any further. She hadn’t necessarily expected this to happen again, but Kara’s skin against her own feels to good to question, and so she mindlessly pulls her closer instead. Something about the desperation of her act seems to amuse Kara, but Lena swallows the adoring chuckle when she leans in for a bold kiss. It seems to shut Kara up, but Lena herself isn’t done talking just yet. 

“I hate your abs,” she mumbles against soft lips while Kara leads them towards the bedroom, two arms wrapped around Lena and making sure they don’t run into anything. Although the laugh that erupts in direct reply to Lena’s complaint almost causes a collision with a nearby wall. “I really do.” 

Lena proves her point by tracing them with gentle fingertips, and smiles when she feels goosebumps erupt. 

“You really do, huh?” Kara grins, gently pushes Lena onto the bed and discards any and all pieces of clothing that might be able to stop Lena from touching them properly. “Well, I guess it’s just fair for me to tell you how much I hate your face, then.” 

And she, too, proves her point by climbing onto the bed and caressing warm cheeks. 

Their next kiss is bruising, heated, and lasts until their body is a mess of two, their limbs entangled and their lungs longing for air. And it’s with swollen lips, that Kara goes on to explore Lena’s body. And it’s swollen lips that Lena bites when she can’t take it anymore. 

“And I hate those, fuck,” Kara hums as she unbuttons Lena’s blouse, slowly until both of them lose patience, and then continues to kiss Lena’s breasts in another attempt to show just how serious she is being. “And this one.” Open-mouthed kisses along the soft curves of Lena’s stomach. 

Lena’s breathing is still heavy, but she suddenly thinks that air might not at all be needed, if Kara just keeps doing this instead. And so the mourning process begins instantly, when Kara pulls back a while later, if only to make sure that she’s alright. 

“And you know what I hate most?” Kara asks, the words accompanied with a tender, sweet kiss and long fingers finding their way under Lena’s skirt. Lena rethinks her previous statement, her yearning for air now endless, her need to take Kara’s hand and put it right where she needs it most impossible not to act on. Almost, at least, because apprehension is still a thing; and Kara looks like she knows exactly what she’s doing, too confident to interrupt.

“I hate that all I could think of all day, that all I _wanted_ all day, was to feel your pussy agai-”

Lena’s brain short circuits in a whirlwind of emotions, a desperate need for Kara to keep talking, a sudden shiver and a loud groan; and it all comes together in the sound of a ringing doorbell.

* * *

Merely a few seconds later and violently ripped out of their passionate embrace, both Kara and Lena are trying to hastily get dressed again. Though their fingers are too shaky and imprecise to be effective, their breathing too loud still and their flushed faces more than telling. Lena’s center is throbbing, she can feel the ghost of Kara’s fingers brushing the hem of her underwear still, and wishes they’d have some more time to finish that beautiful thing they’ve began just now. Kara had been so sure, and Lena had been so very willing to explore their new-found ways of showing affection one more time. Instead their eyes are now cast to the floor, and their previous hushed and loving whispers have turned into muttered curses. 

If Lena wasn’t so incredibly desperate, now more than ever, perhaps she would’ve found this all exciting. Her first time getting interrupted like this, just another - almost logical - step in a line of absolutely reckless decisions on her part. She’d been about to get pleasured, a second time, by a very eager and very beautiful woman who is living with her for the time being. In just a few moments they’ll have to greet the latter’s sister as though they hadn’t been about to get it on like horny teens; and somehow Lena finds it amusing enough to chuckle softly. 

Of course Kara’s there with her already, biting her lip to prevent a similarly motivated chuckle of her own. And when their eyes finally meet, soft laughter can’t be held back any longer. Kara’s the first to break and Lena follows suit, all the while trying to fix their appearance. Warm cheeks they can do nothing about, but Lena smoothes down her skirt as though it might be enough to prevent everything else from giving their previous activities away. 

The doorbell rings a second time, and Lena has to physically hold Kara back from going to the door herself. She looks ridiculous, blonde curls dishevelled, adorned with lipstick that very clearly isn’t her own and a shirt that is not even halfway buttoned. 

“You’re _not_ going to greet your sister like that,” Lena chuckles, although a part of her wants Kara to continue looking like this all evening. It’s beautiful despite its obvious imperfections, and the fact that Lena is responsible for not only that, but also the dopey grin on Kara’s face, leaves the former not wanting to open the door at all. “I’ll get it, you get ready.” 

Kara nods in agreement, but refrains from moving still. To get ready that is, because she does pull Lena closer to place a gentle and comforting kiss on still slightly swollen lips. Kara doesn’t say anything before Lena goes to open the door, not with words anyways, but that chaste kiss is enough for her to get the message. _It’s okay. This is going to be nice. Just be yourself._

It’s domesticity accompanied by worry, that lead to Lena’s steps being this hesitant. Her outfit feels wrong and too tight now that her shoes have been discarded, now that her footsteps sound soft on the wooden floor, now that they’re uncomfortably stained with lust and need. She wants to slip out of them and back into bed with Kara, wants to hide, but instead opens the door in a manner that might look confident to an outsider. That will hopefully look not at all nervous to Alex and her partner. 

Sam - whom Lena knows only by name - turns out to be a tall woman rather than anything else Lena could’ve come up with, and although it is not at all surprising, Lena smiles in a mischievous fashion before she gladly accepts the former’s handshake. 

“I’m Sam,” the woman states the obvious, regards Lena with a curious look and then smirks. Before Lena can even think to ask what that is about - she wouldn’t have either way, still entirely too nervous - Sam continues to tell Lena _exactly_ why she seems to be so amused. “And you must be Lena. I’m so happy to finally meet you, really, Kara won’t shut up about you.” 

Too shocked to even smile at the way Alex playfully slaps Sam’s arm, Lena steps aside so the both of them can come inside. “W-what?” 

Clearly Sam’s confession must’ve been a stupid joke, but Lena watches on as Alex nudges her girlfriend another time and very obviously tells her to shut up with nothing but a glare, and so she refrains from asking again. 

“It’s nothing, Kara’s just happy to live with you,” Alex hums and although her smile is tight-lipped, it’s there. Clearly there is some apprehension still, but the moment of silence that follows is incredibly short, Lena being composed enough to offer her guests a drink. She grabs them all a beer, almost downs her own in only one chug. The few glasses of scotch she’s had before coming here have worn off already, and she fears that if Kara won’t show up soon, she’ll have to follow them up with some more.

Of course Kara does show up, merely seconds later, just as Alex starts to look around in curiosity, clearly wondering where her lost sister might be. _‘She’s just getting ready,’_ Lena had muttered nervously, and judging by the other’s raised eyebrows, her face must’ve turned bright red immediately. 

To Kara’s credit, she looks a lot more composed than Lena. Perfect by anyone’s standards, although Lena does take note of how fidgety she seems to be, hopes no one else will be able to tell and glances towards Alex. Furrowed eyebrows tell her everything she needs to know. There’s another awkward beat of silence during which Sam takes Alex’s hand and Lena refrains from doing something similar, instead grabs another beer in order to have something to hold onto. 

“Are you guys ready to play some games?” Kara, adorably enough, gets some soda and then flops onto the couch. Her smile’s bright, a sign of her very obvious excitement to spend time with her sister and Sam. Lena doesn’t count herself as belonging to that same group of people just yet, wouldn’t dare to, but the way Kara then continues to look at her is nothing but gentle and welcoming. Lena practically scrambles to sit next to Kara when the latter asks her over, though she tries to downplay it immediately. 

“Monopoly first?” Alex asks and Sam snorts. 

“You know that no one is playing that game with you anymore, right?” 

Kara laughs as soon as she notices the intrigued manner in which Lena watches their interaction, shifts a little closer to explain. “Alex cheats,” she whispers into Lena’s ear, who is trying very hard to ignore the goosebumps that Kara’s breath against her neck have caused. 

“Hey, I heard that!” Alex grumbles and snatches Sam’s beer with a glare. “Ever considered that maybe I’m just _that_ good?” 

The laughter and scoffs that erupt are enough of an answer, and so they settle on a few rounds of Uno to warm up. A simple card game that no one could possibly want to cheat on, and yet there are several accusations when Alex wins just one time too often.

Defending herself is something she gets away with, the ringing of a doorbell causing a lot of perked heads, confusion, and distraction from the way Alex seemed to be able to conjure the perfect cards out of nowhere. 

Lena doesn’t know who to expect on the other side of the door, seeing as they hadn’t invited anyone else. In the end, it just makes sense for it to be Mike. She groans both internally and out loud, but Mike’s grin is charming and he’s carrying a bottle of Lena’s favorite brandy. His tilted head is enough of a question, her stepping aside and letting him in the answer he had hoped for. 

“Everyone, this is Mike,” Lena introduces him, rolls her eyes upon noting his obvious interest in seemingly everyone here. “My neighbor and friend. And I honestly have no idea what he’s doing here.” 

Mike brushes past that last part, looks offended more so thanks to the first. It’s in exaggeration that he shakes his head and regards Lena with a pained look. “Did you just downgrade me to neighbor and friend? What about me doesn’t still scream hot neighbor next door that you possibly want to bang? Come on.” 

Lena wants to be at least a little mad, but upon indicating that he is clearly just joking, they all let him get away with it. 

“You’ve never been in that category, dear, believe me,” Lena chuckles before offering him a drink as well, which he gladly accepts. 

His attention gets caught by Kara’s gentle wave towards him, and his smug smirk returns. “Kara!! How’s the _bangtation_ been going? So sorry I couldn’t be here to help you guys out a little.” The wink that he finishes his statement with is apparently too much for Alex to handle, and Lena can’t really blame her. 

“That’s my sister, dude! Can you like, not flirt with her while I’m present? Or ever?” 

Mike immediately holds his hands up in defence and chuckles. “Don’t worry, I think she’s much more interested in someone else here anyways.”

His look towards Lena is completely unnecessary and yet causes both Lena and Kara to blush profoundly, rushing to deny his words as fast as they can. Judging by the way Sam is smirking at them it doesn’t do much to either make them seem less suspicious or calm Alex down. 

Sam goes on to properly introduce herself to him once they’re all settled on the couch again, Lena next to Kara and Mike comfortably on the floor. To his credit, Lena thinks, he mostly keeps his indecent comments to himself after that, but she can also tell that Alex still holds a grudge against him. There’s a glare being directed into his general direction whenever he gets too close to Kara, and Lena finds it entirely too amusing to respond to his helpless expression.

It takes a few more drinks and many boardgames for them to all loosen up a little, and although Lena feels uncomfortable and out of place still, even she is slowly starting to enjoy the whole ordeal. It’s the most people that have been in her apartment at once and it’s significantly less frightening than she had expected it to be, especially once they get out blankets and Kara’s hand finds hers under one of them. She not only feels more comfortable after that, but more confident too, and if Kara’s looks are anything to go by then she might actually be doing fine. 

At one point even Alex starts to grin at her every so often, goes as far as to laugh at her nerdy jokes, and Lena feels pleasantly buzzed not only thanks to the alcohol in her system. 

Apparently light intoxication is also enough for Lena to become very much aware of the way Kara’s thumb keeps caressing the back of her hand, and for her to be notably worse at trying to act like it’s not affecting her at all. The redness of her cheeks is something she can blame on the alcohol, but the same can’t be said about her sudden need to be even closer to Kara, or the soft giggle that escapes her lips whenever their eyes meet. The secret between the two of them excites Lena, and though the constant teasing they have to endure is very new and causes her cheeks to heat up further and further, it’s not enough to actually lure a confession out of them. 

“Charades?” Lena asks to confirm after Alex brings it up, nods eagerly and glances towards Kara. 

“But we’re five people.” 

“Mike doesn’t count.” 

There’s a playful objection from Mike, but the game gets played anyways. It’s clear from the very first round on, that there’s no chance anyone will be able to beat Kara and Lena. Alex groans and rolls her eyes after every highfive exchanged between the two of them, practically gives up halfway through.

“This was a lot more fun when I could play with Winn,” she sulks, takes Sam’s hand and places a sloppy kiss to her cheek. Lena decides that Alex is significantly less scary when drunk. “No offence, babe.” 

“It’s your own fault for moving away and leaving all of your friends behind,” Sam shrugs and Kara seemingly seizes an opportunity, smiling brightly. 

Physical contact, like Kara wrapping an arm around her shoulder, shouldn’t at all surprise Lena. Not after what they’ve done this morning. Hell, this afternoon. Not after sitting this close to her on the couch for this long, but still she feels nervous when Kara does so - in the best way possible. It causes her heart to hammer in her chest, and she hopes the way she looks at Kara in a demeanor that is nothing but adoring isn’t too telling. 

“But it’s all okay now,” Kara hums, completely genuine as always. “Lena saved us from being alone!” 

Lena doesn’t remember Kara having a drink, but clearly she is at least tipsy now. She doesn’t mind, rather likes the way Kara doesn’t shy away from showing affection like this, rather likes the way butterflies erupt in her stomach. 

“Sure she did,” Alex mumbles and, although she sounds a little grumpy, smiles softly at Lena. 

Kara sighs happily and, as soon as the game goes on, whispers into Lena’s ear so that no one else can hear them. “And you’re pretty, too. Prettier than Winn.” 

The statement itself is ridiculous, but the compliment affects Lena in a way she hadn’t experienced before. Because suddenly the room is too hot, and suddenly the feeling of Kara’s lips brushing against her ear reminds her of activities they’d been rudely forced to cut short earlier that day. She gulps heavily and reaches for her beer, mostly to distract herself, only to be reminded of how Kara’s still holding her close. The arm around her shoulder now seems somewhat possessive, especially when that same arm pulls her back into the embrace and Kara then continues to press a discrete kiss to her temple - just when no one’s looking. 

“I really have to go to the bathroom, darling,” Lena mumbles, frees herself from Kara’s grasp that is more than welcome but also responsible for feelings that seem somewhat inappropriate to have in front of other people. People she barely knows, one of them being related to Kara. They very clearly belong in the bathroom instead, but before she even gets to close the door she hears something she knows means her downfall. _I’m just going to check up on Lena, in case she’s sick._

Kara knows that Lena’s had no more than a few beers, and just like that Lena knows she might lose control as soon as the blonde enters this room and closes the door shut behind the both of them. Shielding them from prying eyes and Alex’s glares. 

The tension in the room is immediate and heavy, their eyes meeting in the mirror. Lena watches Kara’s travel down her backside to regions she knows must look good in that damn skirt she’s still dying to get out of. Kara seems to both agree and disagree, takes a few determined steps forwards until she’s close enough to place featherlight kisses on her neck, a stark contrast to the way she handles her ass. Lena just barely manages to refrain herself from moaning out loud, bites her lip in order to prevent it and yet tilts her neck to the side, gladly accepting whatever Kara has to offer. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this all evening,” Kara mumbles and all Lena can do is nod vigorously. She, too, had spent the most part of their evening thinking about being this close to Kara again, and yet it hadn’t at all managed to prepare her for the actual reality of this happening. Again, and yet impossibly more arousing knowing that they’re not alone in this apartment that suddenly seems way too small. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful, do you know that?” Kara whispers against her neck, amongst other compliments that all result in the same growing need deep within Lena. They make her feel bold enough to turn the two of them around, to take the upper hand, desperate enough to show Kara just how much she reciprocates those feelings. How much she’s been wanting to hear certain sounds again, the night in which she had unashamedly listened to Kara still engrained in her mind. 

And she’s still dying to be the one responsible for said sounds, wanting to pleasure Kara in a way she hadn’t yet gotten the chance to. She leans in for a passionate kiss, hopes it might be enough to get her sheer desperation across in a way Kara doesn’t need to question. 

But it’s then that the door flies open with a loud thump, startles both of them enough to immediately jump away from each other. It’s a weak attempt of pretending that what they’ve just done was nothing but innocent, but Mike’s cocky smirk tells them that the damage’s been done already. He’s seen enough, and somehow he doesn’t seem surprised in the slightest. 

“Sorry ladies, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Mike salutes them jokingly before he tells them to _have fun_ and closes the door again, as though he hadn’t just caught them in a passionate embrace against Lena’s sink. A position they most likely shouldn’t be in with all of them present. 

Lena groans in frustration as soon as they’re alone again, rests her head in the crook of Kara’s neck who Lena is sure must feel her pout against her skin. “Why do they keep doing that?” 

Lena whines and Kara chuckles, presses a soft kiss to her forehead and then takes both of her hands into her own. Outside they can muffedly hear Mike telling the others of the activities going on in this very bathroom, and they listen to Sam cackle and Alex deny that any of it is true. It’d be entertaining enough if their breathing wasn’t labored still, their bodies still tightly wound with arousal and desperate need. 

“We should probably go back out there, unless we want Alex to have a heart attack,” Kara suggests jokingly, but Lena - despite her body telling her otherwise - nods in agreement. 

They quickly fix what’s left of Lena’s lipstick, again to be found in places it doesn’t belong, and leave the bathroom with as much distance between them as possible. Though they’re still sure that even Alex will be able to tell just how grounded in truth all of Mike’s exaggerated statements essentially are. 

“They were totally going at it, I swear!!! If I went in there a few minutes later, I swear they would’ve been fucking against that sin-” 

“Mike!!! That’s my sister you’re talking about here!!” Alex chastises and Kara’s ears turn red. Too involved in their conversation, no one’s even spotted the couple yet. And Lena is thankful for it, hoping it might give her a few more moments to sort herself out.

“Well I’m just saying, she looked like she was enjoying herse-” 

“She’s a religious woman, you asshole!” This time even Sam laughs - snorts - next to her girlfriend, and continues to completely disregard the glare she’s being regarded with. 

“Come on, we both know Jewish women can be kinky as fuck. Remember that thing you-” 

“Okay fine, got it!” Alex groans just as she spots the pair near the bathroom. One look and Lena feels like she’ll either be screamed at or congratulated. Their hair is too messy and their expressions to guilty for Mike to have been lying, and so it’s now Alex’s reaction that Lena worries about. 

The moment the two of them walk up and reclaim their spots on the couch is somewhat tense, but in the end all Alex needs is a nudge from Sam to spur into action. She clears her throat, opens her mouth and then closes it again. Alex repeats the motion a few times, before she downs the rest of her beer and then - impossibly - smiles at Lena. The latter sighs in relief, even before the words escape Alex’s lips. 

“Please don’t do that in my presence _ever_ again.”

* * *

Alex, Sam and Mike leave eventually, Lena supposes, after some more games and a few too many drinks. She’s not quite sure, figures she must have dozed off at one point, because the next thing she can remember is waking up on her couch, warm rays of the rising sun caressing her cheeks and illuminating the empty space next to her. Lena turns sleepily, eyes barely open, and smiles. Warmth radiates from where she thinks another body must have rested up until just a few moments ago - Kara’s. 

Slowly Lena sits up, regrets the action immediately. Her head’s throbbing and a soft groan escapes chapped lips. Over the back of the couch she can see Kara move around in the kitchen, looking so incredibly comfortable once more, and with a soft thud she lets herself fall back down onto the couch, her head hitting the soft pillow. Lena closes her eyes and tries not to think of Kara once again not wearing pants, tries not to think of their encounter in the bathroom the night before. 

The memory causes her to blush, but she gets up and tiredly trudges towards the kitchen table before she can lose herself in the humiliation. Kara smiles brightly, brighter than the sun, as soon as their eyes meet. 

The blonde woman mumbles a tender _good morning_ just as she hands Lena a much needed cup of coffee and places a glass of cold water onto the table in front of her. Lena barely registers a pair of gentle lips pecking the corner of her own in a sweet gesture she’d like to be more present for, but Kara moving away quickly and nervously running a hand through her dishevelled hair is enough of a cue for Lena to know it really happened. 

“So, last night was nice,” she hums, tries to stir up this conversation in a way that’s not going to be overwhelmingly awkward. But she’s Lena, and her bare feet are cold on the floor, and Kara’s looking at her in some kind of way, glasses aghast, and- she fails. “Well, up until the point that your sister - and us, I mean, in the bathroom-” 

“Are you saying what happened in that bathroom _wasn’t_ nice?” Kara asks, teasing lightly. Lena watches fondly as she moves to jump onto the kitchen counter, sits there cross legged and smiling goofily. 

“No, of course not, it was-” Lena shakes her head once Kara starts to laugh loudly, and looks up to meet bright blue, sleepy eyes. “It was really nice. The entire evening was.” 

“Alex likes you,” Kara says and sips on her coffee, holds up a warning finger while doing so. She keeps talking once she’s set down her cup again. There’s a bit of milky foam stuck to the tip of Kara’s nose, and Lena knows she’s a goner. “She really did, I promise. She’s like this with everyone, I mean, she’s - she’s just a little protective, you know?” 

“I get it,” Lena nods, not knowing where to look. Even Kara seems nervous all of a sudden, and Lena’s got no idea why. 

“So uhh, the landlord called this morning,” Kara starts. Lena’s stomach drops. She knows _exactly_ where this conversation is going. Rationally, she knows it’s not a big deal. Kara lives in the same building, lives _next door_ , either way. Foolishly, however, Lena doesn’t want to miss waking up to Kara’s bare legs just yet. 

They’re dangerous territory, and the blonde must know it. Lena’s eyes wander there for all of one second, and suddenly Kara’s feet are back on the floor, take one step after the other into her direction.

Lena looks up at her, and something about Kara’s shy demeanor changes as she takes place on Lena’s lap. As though it was something _normal_ to do, something they now ordinarily did. Lena’s hands, traitors, instinctively settle on Kara’s hips, but it’s not at all her fault that the blonde’s shirts rides up just a little, makes room for wandering fingers and caressing soft skin. 

“So, what did he say?” Lena tries not to pay too much thought to how hoarse her voice sounds already. Her words are just barely so above a whisper, and it’d be embarrassing if she didn’t have a good reason to be trembling already. But Kara’s leaning forward and her lips are brushing Lena’s ear, and even after a night of alcohol and crappy snacks her entire being still smells of mint and fresh flowers. Ridiculously sweet. 

“He said,” Kara murmurs, drifts off. At least Lena thinks those to be her beginning words, because Kara punctuates each following one with a kiss down her jaw and suddenly it’s really hard to focus on anything else. “He said that I can move back into my apartment today. Technically.” 

“Technically,” Lena agrees. Kara’s lips move toward her own, claim them. Lena’s vaguely aware of wanting to argue, of wanting to tell Kara to wait until she’s at least brushed her teeth. But the latter moans softly against her lips and seriously, who’s Lena to argue with hands that are firmly holding onto her and a body slowly rocking against her own. “But?” she manages to croak out, suddenly likes where this is going. 

“But,” Kara whispers against her skin, suddenly all gentle and shy again, “I don’t think I want to leave just yet…” 

“Oh no?” Lena asks and Kara shakes her head. The rays of sun catch Kara’s bare skin as she rids herself of the shirt she’s wearing, without warning. Lena gulps down any other questions she’s wanted to ask, any joke and any teasing words. 

Up until a week ago Lena used to spend sad nights in her office, alone and slightly drunk, miserable. That version of Lena was stuck up, adorned with more walls than anyone would have dared to merely _try_ to break down. That Lena wouldn’t have been caught dead with someone like Kara on her lap, half naked on a supposedly ordinary Saturday morning. That version of Lena wouldn’t have smiled and kissed newly revealed skin, wouldn’t have pulled the other woman closer and unclasped her bra expertly, confident smirk now firmly set in place. 

“So what now? You’re trying to seduce me? Just so you can stay a little longer?” Lena asks, not even looking at Kara. Not at her face, anyways. Kara changes that, lifts up her chin with gentle fingers and laughs against her lips as they kiss once more. 

She doesn’t answer until Lena’s no longer wearing a shirt either, but by then they’re already on their way to the bedroom and the decision’s been made. 

Kara should definitely stay a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :) 
> 
> @takartradio on twitter


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